Boneaddict Entiat deer management plan

[wab]

Entiat deer managemet plan: 4 easy winters in a row!!!!  Methow deer Management plan: 10 easy winters in a row!!!!! Last 2 winters ate deer, especially one before last and this one is looking pretty bad so far, for the Entiat and the Methow. Right now the winter range in the Methow is basically the state highway and the orchards next to the highway.

[ICEMAN]

Brings up a question....

What is wildlife's plan to help these deer if a big kill starts...any one  know how to find out? I would be more than willing to kick in some cash for the cause if there is a plan in place....

[WAmuleyHunter]

Well from talking with some bio's in the past in some ways they are against feeding stations and feeding them the pellets.. They said they dont want to concentrate the animals for a couple reasons, being all the browse in the surrounding area will be eat to nothing, and then the spreading of diseases.  Another big reason is that it takes awhile for the deer to get use to the food they are being feed. they say its hard for them to break it down and turn it into fuel. And i think the pellets or waffers are expensive. And they cant feed them hay either.  I think they would have to start to feed them before a big die off starts or it wont do any good.  I know that in Colorado now the winter has been really bad in the Gunnison area, western slope and they are starting to feed them already. Trying to save the deer so there isnt a big die off. They dont want to lose all their quality deer.

[WDFW-SUX]

Colorado is mule deer heaven. 

[huntnphool]

You forgot about concentrating them into one big group to make it easier for the natives to make their selections

[WDFW-SUX]

I gotta say I'm most nervous about the lice making there way out of the Yakima herd and catching the Entiat herd at a weekend state and decimation the entire thing

If they have a big outbreak when the numbers are low it could be disastrous.

[WAmuleyHunter]

hunt-didnt even think of that 

[huntnphool]

Whats sad G is the fact that we do have to think about that

[skookum]

Boneaddict’s Entiat Deer Management plan. 
 
This is easy for me since I rarely hunt there, but here is an Idea for you.  For the Entiat unit, a two point only season for 2008. (All user groups) 

We all know that there is a growing concern that there are a bunch of two points in the Entiat.  I am still a firm believer in the three point or better rule, just because I have seen a lot of good come from it.  If we continue to hunt for quantity versus quality, we need to do something to try to improve both.  Two genetic groups are being seen a lot in the Entiat or Chelan, big 2s and those with weak backs.  We will continue to enhance this bad trend if we do not do something.   There is so much pressure on the big bucks for all the other things I have discussed, we are trimming out a majority of the big ones, or the prime genetics.  Sure, there are some big ones still, but let them have a year off.  Get rid of the twos, or a bunch of them.  Let the big ones breed for a year. It is obvious that the Entiat gets a majority of the trophy hunting pressure with permits and raffle tags etc.   

I hunted the entiat before the made it permit only. And my little brother drew the late archery tag this Year. We seen 400 plus deer in one day. Out of all those deer about 50 were decent buck only one over 26" the rest were 19"-23". When we went there
before it was a permit draw we saw some absolute monsters. There is still a lot of deer there I didn't see the quality this time though. I'm sure they are still there this was the later hunt the rut was pretty much done. i think they should keep it 3 point min
and does because they cannot hurt the doe population over there.

[Colville]

Is there any kind of program to plant bitter/buck brush in the bottoms in the methow? Seems that maybe a little emphasis on natural browse might provide more value than pellets? I know the stuff is slow growing but i'd think there'd be a fair number of the small parcel owners with no orchards or pasture animals that'd invite it.

[WAmuleyHunter]

hunt- sad but true.

And i definitly hear what your saying about when you were there and saw the big bucks, and then went back and they werent there. they werent somewhere else, in general they just arent there anymore.

when they do their game post harvest counts all those small young deer that are 2 and 3 points that are 2 or 2  1/2 years old. they consider those mature bucks. they are counted in that section.  So their numbers like said before seem amazing to them. they look perfect.  But there isnt the top tier bucks  in there, there is a huge sharp decline in mature 4 to 6 year old bucks.  You can talk to any land owner in the entiat this winter, and ask them what kind of deer numbers are around. they will tell you the dissapointing news.

I know the sportsmens assoc. replanted some bitterbrush in the oklahoma gulch area a couple years ago. But like you said its really hard to grow. especially to get it big enough for the deer, so they dont eat it done and kill it. 

I would love to be able to buy a bunch of plants, and plant them on all of our land around our orchards.

[Ridinshotgun]

WDFW has already cut back E. WA. to a nine day season. Regular rifle season is always open to early. If we are going to have a nine day season lets make it the last nine days of OCT! That might give us a chance to get some weather and a big migrator buck. Most Okanogan GMU only give 15 late permits. That number should be 50! WDFW would rather let poachers, prediators and cars get most of the deer. That season runs all year long. I guess we could cut the season and permits even more. Then when we have bad winters even more deer will die. Even the 4X4 bucks we did not get to hunt. I think if season went to permit only we would get to hunt about every 5 to 7 years not good!

[mossback91]

Dude are you trying to kill the deer herd??? I for one say that all non res should have to draw a tag. I also think certain areas for residents should also be draw. In the long run everybody will be better rewarded. Bigger deer and just think how it would be to only hunt with say 30(maybe more but stillalot less than you hutn around right now) other people in the whole gmu.

[bobcat]

I think if season went to permit only we would get to hunt about every 5 to 7 years not good!

That would all depend on how many permits were available each year. It definitely wouldn't have to be a 5 year wait between hunts. If they reduced the number of mule deer hunters by 50% from what we have now with the over-the-counter tags, then I would think that on average you would be able to hunt every other year. Of course, the more popular units (such as Entiat) would most likely be a longer wait. So I guess if you're thinking a 5 to 7 year wait for the Entiat you could be right. But those who just want to hunt mule deer anywhere could apply for other less popular units.

[Ironhead]

In 2006 there were 122 antlered deer killed by the permit hunters compared to 97 during the  general modern season. This year there may be more.